Some restaurants are haunted by ghosts; it can be hard to like a new place that took the spot of a bygone one you loved (sorry, Joe V's). The Wholy Grain, a new South End bakery/café, has ghosts of a different kind: it used to be the "social club" where the notorious local mobster Philip "Sonny" Baiona conducted business for decades. The DEA and FBI put eventually put Sonny in MCI-Walpole for good, leading to the swift demise of his other concession down the block, the Waltham Tavern. I miss that bar, the South End's last truly seedy dive, but must concede that not all kinds of gentrification are bad.

Daily-changing soups ($3.95/cup, $4.95/bowl) — like Portuguese kale, chouriço, kidney bean, and potato in a smoky broth, and a silky tomato/feta, rich and loaded with fresh basil — are knockouts. The Wholy Grain Salad ($7.95) features the trio of new-potato salad with chickpeas, not-overdressed cabbage/carrot slaw, and simple green salad with pumpkin seeds and good French dressing, rather unattractively jammed into a plastic takeout container. The Wholy Bowl ($4.95/small, $6.95/large) is tasty, light yet filling: a foundation of brown rice layered with black and pinto beans, fresh sliced avocado, sour cream, fiery salsa, black olives, shredded cheddar, and fresh cilantro; adding hot roast chicken or turkey ($2) is a good idea. In all, the Wholy Grain's combination of freshness, charm, and quality should prove irresistible to the same well-heeled, too-busy-to-cook locals who now crowd Flour Bakery and South End Buttery. I imagine Sonny, who prowled the block when it was still lined with decrepit rooming houses, would be appalled.

Review: Jaho Coffee & Tea Jaho is dedicated to slow living and slow brewing, but the haughty morning attitude of Boston commuters rushing for a cup may challenge this shop's efforts to make caffeine consumption relaxing.

On the Cheap: iYO Cafe Without any children at my disposal, I decided the best way to evaluate iYO Cafe, a self-serve yogurt and waffle shop, would be to rally some girlfriends and smoke a fat joint before heading over.

Review: Island Creek Oyster Bar This is confusing, as about eight years ago I reviewed a fine seafood restaurant in this space, where chef Jeremy Sewall was doing terrific things with Island Creek oysters from Duxbury.

Review: Geoffrey's Café Geoffrey's has been around — in the Back Bay, South End, Roslindale, even Utah — but has succeeded for two decades with a sure-handed mix of comfort food and little cheffery, very good prices, and generous portions, especially on dessert.

Review: Red Lantern Red Lantern's menu (and the design of the giant room) hedges its bets — there's a decent sushi bar, a drinking bar with sports on the TVs, a flurry of hot-pot tables, and some serious steaks.

Review: Tamarind House Tamarind House perhaps shows too restrained a hand with its cuisine's boldest flavors, but it's a useful step up from the bowdlerized meekness of the suburban Thai run-of-the-mill.

Review: Think Tank Bistrotheque The owners have some very good ideas about food and drink — Southeast Asian treats are cool, and craft cocktails go better with them than wine does — but they have also produced some decisions that make the rest of us scratch our heads.

PORCHETTA ARROSTO AT CINQUECENTO | January 18, 2013 As a South Ender, I find it easy to admire the smooth professionalism and crowd-pleasing instincts of the Aquitaine Group, which operates six of its eight restaurants in the neighborhood, including Metropolis, Union, Aquitaine, and Gaslight.